Students that are planning to transfer to Wayland Baptist University may now begin taking courses at the Mesalands Community College campus. Classes will begin February 23, 2015.

There will be three courses offered this semester: Religion 1301: Old Testament History; EDUC 4313: Classroom Management (undergraduate level); EDUC 5306: Classroom Management (graduate level). Religion 1301 is a required course that delves into the historical literature of the Old Testament with special attention to the institutions, religion, and national life of the Hebrew people. In the Education 4313 course, students will learn to build a system for classroom management that creates a positive learning environment. The Education 5306 course, investigates the major theories of classroom management and the state laws and administrative rules concerning student discipline and development proficiency in a model.

For more information about these class offerings, please contact Wayland Baptist University at (575) 763-0535 or visit www.wbu.edu.

Mesalands Community College would like to invite the community to a New Mexico FAFSA Workshop, that provides students with free professional assistance completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the form that colleges, universities, and vocational schools use to determine a student’s complete financial aid package, which can include grants, scholarships, work-study awards, and federal loan assistance.

This event is open to all students that plan to attend a college or university next year. Attendees are asked to bring their 2014 IRS 1040 Tax Returns, W-2 Forms, and any other 2014 income benefits information.

Students that are interested in attending Mesalands Community College are encouraged to complete their financial aid files, including the scholarship application and the FAFSA by March 31, in order to be considered for the maximum available funds.

Mesalands Community College recently signed an Educational Alliance Participant Agreement with Grand Canyon University, located in Phoenix, AZ. This agreement provides a 10 percent tuition discount for any Mesalands Community College employee, faculty member, or graduate, pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a doctorate degree at Grand Canyon University.

“There are many individuals that want to continue working and want to continue their education. Many times the only option is go to school online. For Mesalands Community College, this is just another opportunity for a faculty member, a staff member, or a graduate that wants to stay in the area. They can continue taking their coursework online through Grand Canyon University and on top of that they will receive a 10 percent discount,” said Rodney Grilliot, Doctoral Development Liason at Grand Canyon University. “Education is an investment and it takes time and it takes money. We like to provide an incentive to help in any way we can to make education more affordable for those that want to complete their degree.”

Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Grilliot said that there are 12,000 students taking courses at their Phoenix campus and approximately 45,000 students pursuing their degree online at Grand Canyon University. He says their average class size is 15 to 20 students and Grand Canyon University offers over 150 majors.

“We want to expose our faculty and staff to various graduate and doctoral programs. We also want to make these programs affordable,” said Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands Community College. “We will continue to seek partnerships with other institutions in order to provide additional opportunities for our students and staff members.”

Grilliot will be at Mesalands Community College on Tuesday, February 10 from 12:00-1:30 pm in the Great Room, for a Lunch and Learn for staff members interested in earning their doctorate degree from Grand Canyon University. He stated that he will also have more information available about their other degree programs for those who are interested.

Mesalands Community College is now offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes. In this class students will practice speaking with others, listening, reading and writing. Students are taught basic reading, writing and conversational skills. Walk-ins are welcome!

Mesalands Community College recently signed an articulation agreement with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to facilitate the transfer of Mesalands graduates to SNHU-College of Online and Continuing Education (COCE). This agreement allows for the transfer of up to 90 credits from Mesalands towards a bachelor’s degree program in communication, psychology, business management, general studies, or technical management at SNHU. Mesalands graduates, employees and their immediate family also will receive a tuition reduction at SNHU.

SNHU is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, as well as several other accrediting bodies. With more than 200 certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs offered, SNHU has one of the lowest tuition rates in the nation at $320 per credit hour. Current enrollment at SNHU is 50,000 students and online classes have an average of 20 students per class.

“This articulation agreement with Southern New Hampshire University is a great opportunity for our graduates and employees, as well as for our community,” said Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands Community College. “There are basically three priorities that I consider when developing articulation agreements with other institutions: transferability, affordability, and accessibility. I want our students to be able to take these courses online. Southern New Hampshire University met all of these requirements and much more.”

Following the completion of any Associate of Arts or Associate of Applied Science degree at Mesalands, students may transfer all of their credits towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies at Southern New Hampshire University. Military students enrolling at SNHU may also transfer up to 90 credit hours towards a bachelor’s degree with unlimited College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Defense Activity for Non Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and Excelsior credits, provided the student meets residency requirements.

“We are always eager to work with community colleges that are looking to partner with other universities to help students find ways to complete their education and achieve their goals,” said Debbie Lloyd, Assistant Director of Academic Alliances at Southern New Hampshire University- College of Online and Continuing Education. “This also gives us the opportunity to share our resources and further our commitment to students.”

In particular, SNHU has developed a pathway for students graduating from Mesalands with a technical degree who aspire to management roles in their fields. Specifically, this degree will benefit students graduating from Mesalands with an associate in Wind Energy Technology, along with other associate in technology degrees. SNHU will accept a minimum of 60 credit hours towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Management.

“This new articulation agreement with Southern New Hampshire University provides a pathway for our students to earn a bachelor’s degree and beyond,” Dr. Newsom said. “It is our desire that we can continue to offer more degree opportunities like these for our students.”

Mesalands had an All-Employee Meeting earlier this month. Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands presented the following items during the meeting: Strategic Plan Update,

Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Update, and Facilities Update. Dr. Newsom also explained the importance of having positive attitudes. He stated that attitudes are contagious and we should ask ourselves if our attitudes are worth catching? To view the motivational video visit: http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/attitude-is-everything/.

Dr. Newsom also reminded everyone, that student success is the College’s top priority.

“We are here for student success. We are here to help our students achieve success,” Dr. Newsom said. “We are growing this institution and we want to improve as many lives as we can.” Read entire article.

Also during the meeting, Dr. Aaron Kennedy, Vice President of Student Affairs and Amber McClure, Director of Enrollment Management, discussed Enrollment Days, the Family and Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA), student emails, and encouraged everyone to sign up for the Mesalands Alerts at www.Mesalands.edu/alerts. Isabel Jones, Manager of the College Stores, reported on social media and to be mindful of one’s behavior on these sites. Lastly, faculty and staff participated in an Active Shooter/Lockdown Training presented by the Albuquerque Police Department.

Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands motivates attendees to the All-Employee Meeting.

Dr. Aaron Kennedy, Vice President of Student Affairs and Amber McClure, Director of Enrollment Management, present at the meeting.

Mesalands Community College is pleased to announce that Dr. Forrest Kaatz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, and Adjunct Instructor at Mesalands, will be presenting his mathematical research at the 2015 International Conference on Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering (CMMSE) in Rota, Spain on July 6-10, 2015. Dr. Kaatz will be speaking at the mini-symposium at the conference entitled “Mathematics Meets Chemistry – Theoretical Models at the Nanoscale.”

Dr. Kaatz and his colleague, Professor Adhemar Bultheel, Department of Computer Science at the Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium, will be presenting their research on “Mathematical Methods in Cluster Science” at the mini-symposium. According to Dr. Kaatz, their research was the first of its kind related to mathematics and nanoclusters, graph theories, and topological indices.

“Anytime you do something that has never been done before, people may be interested in what you learned, while you were conducting your research,” Dr. Kaatz said. “It is always an honor to be asked to present, especially at an international event. There is only a small group of people in the world that work on topological indices and I will have the opportunity to share my research with them, while learning more about their research projects.”

Over the years, Dr. Kaatz has published 30 papers and one book chapter. He also has two patents. Dr. Thomas W. Newsom, President of Mesalands Community College, explains the significance of Dr. Kaatz being invited to present at this international conference.

“It is very exciting that Mesalands Community College has multiple faculty and staff members conducting research here in New Mexico, that is ultimately impacting the world,” Dr. Newsom said. “We are very proud that Dr. Kaatz will be representing our College, our State, and our nation at this international conference. To have a scientist of his caliber at Mesalands, contributes greatly to the College’s academic reputation and shows that meaningful research is being conducted even in small colleges.

]]>http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/11711/feed/0Weather Delay – 1/23/15http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-delay-12315/
http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-delay-12315/#commentsFri, 23 Jan 2015 13:49:55 +0000http://www.mesalands.edu/?p=11706Mesalands Community College will open at 10:00 am today, January 23, 2015.
]]>http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-delay-12315/feed/0Weather Closure – 1/22/15http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-closure-12215/
http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-closure-12215/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 02:14:26 +0000http://www.mesalands.edu/?p=11704Mesalands Community College will be closed on Thursday, January 22, 2015, due to inclement weather.
]]>http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/weather-closure-12215/feed/0Mesalands Rodeo Team finishes the fall semester strong and has high expectations for the springhttp://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/mesalands-rodeo-team-finishes-the-fall-semester-strong-and-has-high-expectations-for-the-spring/
http://www.mesalands.edu/news-releases/mesalands-rodeo-team-finishes-the-fall-semester-strong-and-has-high-expectations-for-the-spring/#commentsFri, 09 Jan 2015 23:45:06 +0000http://www.mesalands.edu/?p=11626Read more →]]>January 9, 2015

Caption. State Representative, Dennis Roch, presents Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team Member Edmiles Harvey of Tsaile, AZ, with his bareback riding championship buckle at the on-campus Mesalands Intercollegiate Rodeo Competition.

After building the momentum all semester long, the Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team ended the fall semester on a high note. The Men’s Team won the championship title at their on-campus intercollegiate rodeo competition, for the first time in the program’s history. The Men’s Team also brought home multiple individual titles and ended the fall semester third in the Grand Canyon Region. The Women’s Team also performed well and finished fourth in the region. The Mesalands Rodeo Team plans to continue this momentum and win more championship titles and secure multiple qualifiers for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).

“As a Coach I was very pleased with how our student athletes performed last semester. I think they did an amazing job,” said Tim Abbott, Interim Intercollegiate Rodeo Coach at Mesalands. “We built on our performances at every rodeo in the fall and are now sitting in a position talent-wise, to win our region. We just have to continue to work hard and build on what we did in the fall and carry it over into the spring.”

The Mesalands Rodeo Team will have seven rodeo competitions in the spring and will host their first spring on-campus rodeo on April 17-18, 2015. Mesalands Community College will also be hosting a Mesalands Rodeo Preview Day on Friday, February 13, 2015 at 10:00 am. This event is open to all high school students that are interested in competing on the Mesalands Rodeo Team. Please RSVP to the event by Friday, February 9 by contacting Coach Abbott by phone at (575) 461-4413, ext. 157, or by email at timothya@mesalands.edu.

“Mesalands offers a wide-range of academic programs, low tuition costs, various athletic and academic scholarship opportunities, and the chance to practice as much, or more than any other institution in the nation. It’s just an incredible opportunity for students,” Coach Abbott said. “If you are looking for a place to start your college career and you want to work hard on your rodeo performance and collegiate studies, there’s no better place than Mesalands.”

Caption. Edmiles Harvey, a member of the Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team electrified the bareback riding event at the on-campus Mesalands Intercollegiate Rodeo Competition, winning his second consecutive championship title of the season.